It's any of various religions other than Christianity or
Judaism or Islamism. There are many types of religion under the Pagan name
and here are a few and their meanings.
Neo-Paganism: A modern Earth Religion which borrows and adapts from the best
of pre-Christian Pagan religions, sometimes with additions from contemporary
religious thinkers. Neopaganism (sometimes Neo-Paganism, meaning "New Paganism")
covers a heterogeneous group of modern religions that attempt to revive ancient,
mainly European pre-Christian religions. Some Neopagans stress their connections
with older forms of Paganism in terms of "underground" continuity.
Judeo-Paganism: Judeo-Paganism, or Jewish Paganism, is a religious movement,
related to Judaism and Neopaganism, which explores the origins of the Jewish religion
and its ancient neighbors, the religions of the Canaanites, Phoenicians, Assyrians,
Babylonians, Ugarit folk, and Egyptians.
Finnish-Paganism: Finnish paganism was a form of ancient pagan religion in
present-day Finland and Karelia. It shares some ideas with the Ásatrú religion of the
Germanic Nordic peoples, and has similarities with Baltic paganism as well. Sometimes
it is considered as a form of Ásatrú; for example both Finnish paganism and Ásatrú have
a similar thunder god with a hammer. But Finnish paganism also has many features of its
own as a result of its unique Finno-Ugric heritage.
Roman-Paganism: Religion in ancient Rome combined several different practices and
embraced more than a single set of beliefs.
Wicca: A modern Pagan religion with spiritual roots in the earliest expressions
of reverence for nature. Some major identifying motifs are: reverence for both the Goddess
and God; acceptance of reincarnation and magick; ritual observance of astronomical and
agricultural phenomena; and the use of magickal circles for ritual purposes.
There are many MANY more... Feel free to do a search to find out information on them all. (^_-)
About Wicca
What's An Coven?
"Witch" Or "Wiccan"?
Myths About Wicca
* NO Blood Sacrafices - Wiccans do not sacrafice animals, men, women, or children on the alter!
That's a myth, cooked up my Hollywood, to sell seats in the theaters. Our main rule is to "Harm None", so
I think murder fits in with the meaning of "harming". Don't you? The only living things we do offer to our
Gods are fruits and various plants. And even so, as we collect the plants, we give a prayer of thanks to the
plant for it's sacrifice.
* NO "Dark Magic" - What we practice is Magick, true. But real Wiccans NEVER do curses or "dark spells".
Anything that harms anyone, we do not practice. There are websites offering Voodoo spells that call themselves
Wiccans. DON'T BELIEVE IT! (o_o) They are not recognized by the Wicca community, nor are they welcomed. Wiccans
only practice good and healing spells.
* NO Broom Flying! - This has got to be the most halarious thing, that people do believe actually exsist!
But I have to put a pin in that fantasy bubble. Sorry. No, we don't fly on brooms. We do own the special wooden
brooms, mostly recognized from movies, with creepy green witches flying on them. (>_<) Though it's used for "sweeping"
away dark energy, before doing our rituals. We don't really sweep the floor, more like move the broom in sweeping-motion,
a few inches from the floor. And a few quick sweeps in the air. It helps our spells stay pure and dark thoughts to not
influence anything. (^o^)
* NO Floating Things! - Yep, the same as above. This is another fantasy too. We can't point to things, say a
special word, and an object comes flying our way. It would make life MUCH easier, and truthfully it would be fun, but
alas... no such thing exsist. (;_;)
Do Wiccan's Worship The Devil?
What is the "Wiccan Rede"?
What is "The Book Of Shadows"?
Available At: Amazon.com
What Is Paganisim?
As you have read above, Wicca is a new religion based on the earliest
Pagan religions. It was created in England in 1939 by Gerald Gardner. But many believe
that Wicca really started from an ancient religion called Shamanism. The Shamans were
medicine people, the power wielders, male and female. They wrought magick and spoke to the
spirits of Nature.
Wicca is the most known of the Pagan religions of the world and most talked about. Few, who
are not in the religion themselves, know the truth about it, only knowing the negative rumors
and myths. And even fewer know that there are other religions within in Pagan community, not
just Wicca. In fact, not every Pagan is Wiccan, but every Wiccan is Pagan. (^_-)It's a place of worship, much like an church. Only, it's most often held in
the house, backyard, or basement of an Wiccan's home. And I've heard tales of Wiccans taking turns of who's home
to hold rituals in, every week.The word "witch" over the centuries became a derogatory title. It synonymous
with Hollywood's ugly old hags of hatered and terror. Also it's the name people accused with, during the Burning
Times. Therefore, many rather be caled "Wiccan" or "Pagan". Some Wiccans don't mind being called "witch" or
even proudly call themselves witch. But to keep from offending anyone, please use "Wiccan" or "Pagan". (^_-)
As for the title "Warlock" NEVER use it. The males of this religion is called Wiccan also.
Warlock is an ancient word meaning, "oath breaker". Wiccans are often taught that this word refers to a Pagan
that has been expelled from a coven or Pagan community, due to some misdeed. So calling someone a "Warlock" is
bad, very bad! (u_u)A lot of people have false ideas about Wicca, due to years of misinformation
and Hollywood. Here are a few myths, but you can read more myths about Wicca in Carl McColman's book,
When Someone You Love Is Wiccan.This is a very important question. The answer is simply, "NO!" Satan, The Devil,
or whatever other names, is a creation of the Christian religion. Since Wicca is a Pagan religion, and not Christian,
we don't believe in The Devil. Therefore, we do not worship something we don't believe in. I think the confusion started
with our pentagram:
It's a symbol of protection, used by Wiccans, and each of the five points stand for the elements.
Earth, Water, Fire, Air, and Spirit. But in Hollywood, every evil witch or villian has use this symbol of good as an dark
circle of death, destruction, and doom. And also, it doesn't help that many Satan worshippers have used our symbol
for their own. But, YET, it's different! The Satanist have turned our pentagram upside down, much like they also do
with the Christian cross, and they have added a goat head in the middle. I would show you what it looks like, but I do
not wish to have that on my site. Just imagine the above symbol upside down.
My personal thought about this, is that Satanists' sole purpose is to take a symbol of good (like the
pentagram or cross) and pevert it, turning it upside down. They will soon turn to the symbols of other religions, if they
have not done so already. (;u_u) BUT, if you see a upside right pentagram in a movie, and some sinister bad guy is using it
to do harm, know that part of the movie is false. (^_-)It's a moral code of all Wiccans! They must
be followed at ALL TIMES and I personally take them very seriously. You can read
the full Rede by clicking "Wiccan's Rede" in the Navagation menu. (^_^)
<-------------------It isn't a formal book or bible to follow, it's a journal of spells
and rituals, thoughts and feelings, and history notes on the Wiccan religion. And most of all, it a book
that YOU create, like a journal. To have a BOS (Book Of Shadows), just get an ordinary notebook or buy
a hardcover one from a Pagan supply store. BTW, the ones from the stores are pretty, with gold or silver
trim and pretty symbols of the God or Goddess, and they're cheap for around $15.00 - $28.00 USD,
depending on the size you want.
No two Wiccans have the exact same contents in their books, because it's about your personal
spiritual journey. So, some Wiccans even name their BOS with mystical names, furthering it's uniqueness from other
books. You can keep the book for years, even hand it down to your children and they can hand it down to their
children, and so on. But, It's best for every Wiccan to have their own book and find their own path. In fact,
in this religion, it's highly encouraged that Wiccans find their own way of serving The Goddess & The God.
Are you interested in Paganism, for the fact that someone you know or love practice it? If you want to know more
about this religion but do not wish to join it, there is a great book written just for YOU! (^_-)
When Someone You Love Is Wiccan:
A Guide to Witchcraft and Paganism for Concerned Friends, Nervous Parents, and Curious Co-Workers
It the book that takes a easy to understand and humorous approach, easing the fears of concerned parents, friends,
and loved ones.